Pharmagraphics, a pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging printer headquartered in Greensboro, NC, breaks ground on a new 63,000-sq-ft building. Occupancy is expected in February 2003. "The new facility will provide additional square footage to enable us to expand production capacity as well as permit us to put our corporate offices and local manufacturing facility under one roof," says Carl Treleaven, CEO and chairman. Pharmagraphics converts printed-package inserts/outserts, pressure-sensitive labels, folded cartons, and specialty products.

Spartanburg, SC-based flex-pack converter Exopack LLC acquires the assets of Specialty Films & Associates, Hebron, KY, a complementary flex-pack maker of pouch packaging. The transaction was finalized Sept. 30. SFA will join Exopack as a wholly-owned subsidiary and will remain in Hebron. Expansions are already planned for the Hebron facility.

Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Chicago, completes the sale of its industrial packaging operations to Caraustar Industries Sept. 30. The sale includes 17 tube and core manufacturing facilities, three fiber partition plants, and three uncoated recycled-boxboard mill operations. Smurfit-Stone will receive approximately $78 million in cash and retain about $12 million in receivables from the business.

Stamford-CT-based MeadWestvaco Corp. completes the sale Sept. 30 of its Stevenson, AL, corrugated-medium mill and associated operations to Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Chicago. The Stevenson operations will be integrated into Smurfit-Stone's containerboard mill system. The seven corrugated-container plants will be incorporated into the corrugated container business. The Stevenson mill has the capacity to produce 830,000 tons of corrugated medium/yr. Approximately 21 percent of the mill's production is consumed by the container plants. The facilities employ about 1,200 people.